Final Fantasy 7 Remake provides the player with an option between 20 minutes and a 30 minutes timer. Here's what each option does in-terms of the story. The Final Fantasy 7 Remake recently released a demo for players on the Playstation 4. The demo takes place during the entirety of the first chapter of the game and introduces new combat mechanics and shows the mechanical world of Midgar in its beautifully remade glory. The game was originally revealed back at E3 2015 with positive reception. It's been almost five years in-between its reveal and release date in April. The player will be making their way through this industrial jungle-gym to the center of the reactor. On the way, players will take down members of the Shinra corporation, from foot soldiers to giant, mechanical scorpions. Fun interactions will be triggered between each character as the group the player is a part of, Avalanche, a group tasked with blowing up the reactor to save the world from the greed of the Shinra company. Shinra is stealing the world's "Mako", also known as the life energy of the planet. Avalanche is a group of eco-terrorist tasked with saving the planet from Shinra before all the Mako is gone forever. This guide will help players understand the differences between selecting the 20-minute bomb or the 30-minute bomb.
The option between selecting the timer for the bomb is given right before being attacked by a giant, robotic scorpion. The bomb is designed to destroy the reactor and send a message out into the world about the power of Avalanche. This scorpion is a boss sent by the Shinra company to stop Avalanche from destroying their reactor. A boss fight will trigger and Cloud and Barrett must work together to defeat it. Even in just the demo, this boss is no pushover. Even experienced players will have to use a Phoenix Down or two in this fight. Right before this fight, the player has the option to select between a 20 or a 30-minute timer. No need to worry though, the timer does not begin until after the boss fight. Very minor but interesting differences happen when selecting one of these two options. Here are the differences between these two options
The 20 Minute Versus The 30 Minute Timer in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
For starters, selecting one of these two options comes down to the preference of the player. The timer does not begin until after the scorpion fight, so players don't have to worry about that. The timer begins after the scorpion begins to act haywire after being defeated as a piece of debris falls onto the bomb. Barrett reacts in fear as the timer of the bomb begins based on what the player selected. Cloud and Barrett must now hurry out of the reactor before the explosion. The main difference between the two options is the 20-minute bomb allows the player less time to escape the reactor than the 30-minute timer. It's recommended to select the 30-minute timer for players who are inexperienced, as the next section requires the player to defeat several hordes of enemies quickly before the bomb can go off. Even for those players who have played the original Final Fantasy 7, this combat system is entirely different and this takes place very early into the game, so it is very possible for any type of player who hasn't had much experience with the new combat system to struggle in this section. On top of that, certain enemies such as the Sweeper have their own weakness (the weakness is Thunder). Using thunder will make it easier to defeat these enemies quickly to make a hasty escape.
The player must backtrack towards the exit before the time runs out. Although, if the player is looking for a challenge, setting the bomb to 20 minutes can add an extra layer of suspense to the situation. The timer appears above the screen and shows each second clicking down before the explosion happens. Also, it is important to mention that the timer will not continue to click down during cutscenes. One cutscene will play where Jessie is nearly crushed by falling pipes. Cloud will then jump into rescue mode to lift the debris from on top of her. As this is happening, the clock will remain frozen until the player has control over Cloud again. One other small but interesting detail comes from Barrett as the player is selecting the timer. If the player selects 20 minutes, Barrett will mock Cloud, calling him cocky for needing such little time. If the player selects the 30-minute timer, Barrett will once again mock Cloud, this time making fun of the fact that it will take him so long to escape. Either way, Cloud is not safe from Barrett's barrage of insults.
Aside from that, nothing else really changes in terms of making Avalanche escape. The same enemies and threats spawn to stop the escape. It should on average take players around 10-15 minutes in order to escape. Although as mentioned, if the player is struggling to complete this section, they should pick the 30-minute timer. Another important point to mention is if the player dies in combat, they will have to restart this entire section. The Final Fantasy 7 Remake provides extra context to the game as well, considering its plans to dive into the relationship between Cloud and the antagonist, Sephiroth's relationship. This new story content has fans torn, as new content may diminish the importance of the old story but some other fans are excited to see what new content Square Enix has for its consumers. The game is also being planned for a multi-game release, as the first part of Final Fantasy 7 Remake is releasing this April and will conclude only after the Midgar section of the game. The next game is seeming to introduce the rest of the open-world. It's currently unknown how many parts the Final Fantasy 7 Remake will be but the game seems to be full of content to hold down even the most hardcore Final Fantasy fans.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake will release on April 10th, 2020.